


bend it like parrish

by artemis_west



Category: Pynch - Fandom, Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater, The Raven Boys
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Sports, M/M, One Shot, Soccer, i don't even know anything about soccer, no one asked for this but here it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-27
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-07-10 14:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6988078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemis_west/pseuds/artemis_west
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The soccer AU no one asked for. Adam Parrish is Aglionby's soccer star. Ronan Lynch has never been interested in sports, but suddenly, he thinks he could be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	bend it like parrish

**Author's Note:**

> I come from a soccer family. I don't play soccer myself, but my parents are coaches and both of my younger sisters have been playing for years. I was at one of my sister's games the other day when the idea for this fic popped into my head. So here it is. Also I just love the idea of Adam playing soccer for some reason?? Like it just seems to fit. So yeah. Everybody loves him and he's the best player Aglionby's ever seen.

Adam Parrish had joined the Aglionby soccer team because he wanted to feel strong. At first, it was just a way for him to stop fearing his father – when he first joined, he thought being jostled on the field and elbowed in the side, arms and legs in his face, cleated feet aiming strong kicks for his calves, shadows and heavy bodies in his peripheral vision would make him cringe back and cower in fear. But he learned not to be so afraid of the other boys on his team. He learned to play the game. And now, soccer was just his. It was something he loved, and it made him fast and strong and powerful.

            He knew it would be hard, juggling school and his three jobs and now this, but he managed it, because he wanted it. He hadn’t realized how badly he wanted it until the day after tryouts, when he was waiting to find out if he’d made the team. He definitely wasn’t a seasoned athlete – he’d taught himself soccer like he’d taught himself how to ride a bike, and it was just something to do to take the gray out of his home life, something he did when he wanted to escape his father. He didn’t consider himself particularly good at it, but when he was on the field, Adam felt free. It came naturally to him, like walking or breathing. The Aglionby coach must’ve recognized something in him, because Adam made the team. He got better with every practice and every game, and soon, he became the team’s most valuable offense player. He wasn’t half-bad at playing goalie, either. But Adam didn’t like being stationary; he preferred offense, running up and down the field, chasing the ball and feeling it connect with his foot when he kicked it, watching it fly through the air and into the opposing team’s net. He couldn’t help but grin with pride whenever he made a goal. He loved the rush it gave him, and he loved the cheers he got from the sidelines and his teammates. Soccer was a safe haven, for him. It hardly mattered that his uniform was secondhand and his cleats were bought at a thrift store and they were too tight and hurt his feet. He was _good_ at soccer, and on the field, he felt like his father could never touch him. On the field, Adam was unstoppable. He was strong.

            And it didn’t matter that his parents never attended his games. Gansey was always at his games, and Ronan was always with him. Now, more often than not, Blue would tag along, too.

            Adam felt a little self-conscious when they first showed up in the bleachers. Now that he had an audience that mattered to him, it was the perfect opportunity for him to mess up. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing when his friends were watching, especially Ronan. He could always feel Ronan’s eyes on him whenever Lynch came to a game. His gaze felt charged, and despite Adam’s fears that he would mess up, it always made him play better. Maybe because he knew he was being watched, or maybe just because it was Ronan. Either way, Adam always counted on him being there now. Ronan was his motivator, for reasons he couldn’t name. He preferred not to dwell on it. It would be too confusing to think about. Instead, he just looked for Ronan at every game, and when Adam spotted him in the crowd with Gansey and Blue, that was enough.

* * *

 

            “Adam’s got a game today,” Gansey said, and Ronan looked up idly from feeding Chainsaw. Blue smiled from where she was perched on Gansey’s bed at Monmouth Manufacturing, reading one of Gansey’s books.

            “Are we going?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer. They never missed one of Adam’s games.

            “Of course. I think this is an important one – Adam said something about playoffs.”

            “What time?” Blue asked, and Gansey checked his watch.

            “Soon. We should leave now if we want to get a good spot on the sidelines.”

            “Give me one second.” Blue shot up from the bed and flittered to the bathroom/kitchen/laundry. She came back a moment later with Adam’s uniform number (#10) written on her cheek in Magic Marker. A raven was drawn on her other cheek. Chainsaw kerahed in approval.

            Ronan had never been one for school spirit. He didn’t care much for sports, and he never bothered going to any Aglionby games. When Gansey was on the rowing team, Ronan would only ever show up to one or two races, and then he decided it was unworthy of his time, and Gansey didn’t begrudge him for it.

            But then Adam joined soccer. Ronan didn’t know what triggered his change of heart (he was lying to himself – he knew perfectly well what triggered it), but he suddenly became interested in sports. When Adam first made the team, Ronan would convince Gansey to stick around after school so they could watch the boys practice. When the first game arrived, Ronan didn’t argue when Gansey asked him to come along. To support Adam, Gansey said, because soccer was something he liked and he was good at, and they were his friends. Ronan agreed. To support Adam. He had sat quietly in the bleachers while the spectators around him cheered madly for the Aglionby Ravens, and his eyes had followed Adam’s quick movements across the field. He liked watching the defined muscles in Adam’s calves tense as he prepared to shoot the ball, and he liked watching the determined expression on Adam’s face whenever he blocked an opponent. He liked seeing the furrow appear between Adam’s brows whenever he was intensely focused on the game.

            Most of all, he liked seeing the joyful look on Adam’s face whenever he scored a goal. And whenever Adam scored, Ronan found himself cheering right along with the rest of the crowd. Gansey always shot Ronan curious looks whenever he erupted into sudden applause and raucous shouts, but he never said anything. The smirk on his face said enough. Ronan ignored it.

            Blue was Adam’s most ardent fan, though. She always showed up to each game with Adam’s number on her face and an ecstatic smile, and she made up cheers for him on the sidelines. Sometimes, she got the rest of the crowd to join in. Ronan might’ve been jealous if he didn’t know Blue was in love with Gansey.

            Blue took Gansey’s hand now as they made their way out of Monmouth to where the Pig was waiting in the parking lot. Ronan wanted to be disgusted when they got all lovey-dovey, and he teased them about it endlessly (he never missed an opportunity to make fun of them for it), but the truth was, he liked seeing Gansey ridiculously happy. And he guessed he was happy for Sargent, too. They were good together.

            Ronan shook the mushy thoughts out of his head quickly and jostled in between them, breaking up their hands.

            “Get a room,” he said, but there was no malice in his words. Blue smirked at him, and Gansey gave him a humorless look.

            “Perhaps if you moved things along with Parrish, you wouldn’t be so bitter,” Gansey said, and Ronan almost choked. He felt a furious blush paint his cheeks, and he got into the backseat of the Pig and slammed the door hard. Blue laughed.

            “Don’t tease him so much, Gansey.” She shot Ronan a sympathetic look, which he ignored.

            “Whatever,” he snarled, and Blue sighed. Gansey gave her a look and got into the driver’s seat. Ronan put in his headphones and let electronica drown out his thoughts until they got to the soccer field.

* * *

 

            “Listen up, boys. Here’s tonight’s starting lineup.” Coach Danvers read from his clipboard, and Adam stretched while he listened. “Strikers are Parrish and Goldstein. Center midfield, Carruthers. Left midfield, Collins. Seamus, you’re on right midfield. Bates, Winstead, McKinley, Westerly, you’re on defense. Allen’s in goal. We got that?”

            “Yes, Coach,” the team repeated. Adam stretched his calves and scoped out the team they would be versing tonight. They didn’t look like much. It would be an easy win, which would bode well for the rest of playoffs. Of course, that didn’t mean he would go easy on them – he would give it his all, like he did for every game. Adam never performed anything less than his best on the field.

            Once he’d analyzed the opposing team, he let his eyes search the crowd on the other side of the field. The bleachers were filling up quickly. He found Gansey, Blue and Ronan near the front, closest to the field. Blue caught his eye and waved with a bright smile, and Adam smiled and waved back. Gansey shot him a thumbs-up. Ronan glanced once at him and looked away carelessly, but it didn’t matter. He was here. That was all Adam needed.

            When the Ravens took the field, Adam’s skin buzzed with eager anticipation. He stood in his ready position, legs poised, feet practically itching to connect with the ball. When he heard the referee blow the whistle and saw the ball fly across the field, he chased after it without thought, swift feet carrying him over the turf, wind in his hair, blowing across his face. He could hear the encouraging shouts of the fans on the sidelines, but all that mattered was this: the boy at his side, wearing opposing colors, trying to block him. The ball just a few feet in front of him, being carried away by an opposing jersey. His teammates urging him on. Adam surged forward and stole the ball away from the boy who was running it towards the Ravens’ goal, and the crowd cheered. He turned with it and kicked it down the field, passing it to Goldstein when he saw an opportunity. Goldstein passed it back to him as they approached the other team’s goal, and Adam only took a second to think about it before he shot. The ball sailed over the goalie’s head, arced downwards and pelted into the corner of the net, hitting the goalpost with an echo of rubber on metal.

            Adam grinned. His teammates clapped him on the back. He let his eyes scan the crowd, and he saw Blue and Gansey cheering madly for him, their hands cupped over their mouths. Ronan was grinning. Adam’s eyes met his, and his chest felt suddenly light and fluttery.

            He passed it off as breathlessness from running, but if he was being honest, he knew better.

* * *

 

            When Adam scored his first goal, Ronan found himself yelling, “Yeah! Go, Parrish!”

            He stopped when he noticed the sly looks Gansey and Blue were giving him, but he still kept the grin on his face. He couldn’t help it when Adam, on the field, was grinning too. He looked the happiest Ronan had ever seen him whenever he scored a goal. His smile was infectious, and Ronan would do anything to see it.

            Adam scored three more times in the first half of the game, and the crowd went wild. They loved him. After his second goal, Ronan started up a chant: “Parrish, Parrish, Parrish!” And the crowd joined in, shouting Adam’s name. Ronan laughed. He couldn’t help it.

            Sometimes he thought Adam’s teammates would hate Adam because Adam was so popular. Ronan knew if he was on the team, he would be jealous that Parrish always got all the attention. But as Ronan watched the game unfold, he knew the rest of the Ravens had no reason to be jealous of Adam – Adam passed the ball to his teammates whenever he could, and he wasn’t the only one who scored goals. He never hogged the ball and he played well with the rest of his team. It made Ronan grind his teeth a little whenever Adam shouted something to Tad Carruthers across the field, and maybe it was just his imagination, but was Tad looking just a little too long at Adam’s legs when they stretched during halftime?

            He didn’t let himself dwell on it. Fuck Tad Carruthers, anyway.

            In the second half of the game, Adam played goalkeeper. The other team must have thought this was good news for them, because Ronan saw the way they immediately huddled to strategize. Adam was easily the Ravens’ strongest player, and now that he was in goal, it would be easier for the other team to score. But they obviously hadn’t seen Adam in goal yet. He was unstoppable.

            Ronan watched as Adam blocked every single shot the opposing team made. Adam’s hands were covered in protective goalie gloves, and they caught every single ball that flew towards the net. Ronan watched Adam dive and jump for the ball, watched Adam’s fierce, concentrated expression every time the ball was headed his way. Whenever he caught it, he would throw it back up the field to one of his teammates or send it sailing through the air with a strong kick. One of those times, he punted the ball all the way across the field and directly into the other team’s goal. That was really when the crowd went insane, and Ronan jumped out of his seat with Gansey and Blue, shouting and laughing with a rush of pride. In these moments, Ronan understood why people were so obsessed with sports.

            Ronan could see Adam’s happy grin from here, and he saw when Adam’s eyes met his. Ronan kept the smile on his face. Adam returned it, his eyes bright and cheerful.

* * *

            The Ravens won their first playoffs game, 7-4. Adam made five of his team’s seven goals, and at the end of the night, after the two teams had met each other on the field and congratulated each other in the spirit of good sportsmanship, Adam’s coach and teammates voted him MVP of the game.

            “That was amazing, Parrish.” Tad Carruthers wiped his face with a towel, rubbing it over his head as the boys cooled down on the sidelines. They were all winded and breathless, their cheeks red and their jerseys soaked with sweat, but they were exhilarated from the win. Adam took a long swig of his water and pulled his jersey over his head to cool off. He didn’t miss the way Tad glanced at his bare chest for a second. “The goal you made in second half was ridiculous.”

            “Thanks,” Adam said, stuffing his sweaty jersey into his soccer bag. “You made some really good plays tonight, too.”

            Tad grinned at the compliment, and Adam gave him a brief smile before he looked across the field to where the crowd was slowly emptying out of the bleachers. His friends were waiting for him at the front, and he waved at them before he turned back to Tad.

            “We’re all going out to celebrate. You coming?” Tad asked, and some of the boys looked at Adam for his response. He shook his head politely.

            “No, thanks. I’ve got plans. You guys have fun, though.” He took another long swig of his water and zipped up his soccer bag, slinging it over his bare shoulder.

            “You sure?” Tad asked hopefully. “I’m buying.”

            “Yeah, I’m sure. Thank you, though. Really. But I’ll see you guys at practice tomorrow.”

            Tad only looked disappointed for a second before he nodded. “Alright, man. See you.” He offered his fist, and Adam bumped it with a grin before jogging across the field to where his friends were waiting.

            Blue threw her arms around him immediately. “Adam! You were amazing!”

            Gansey patted him on the shoulder, not seeming to mind the fact that Adam was covered in sweat. “Fantastic game,” he said. “You played spectacularly.”

            “Thank you,” Adam said, running a hand through his sweaty hair. “Nino’s?”

            “Nino’s,” Blue agreed, nodding with a smile on her face. “Celebratory pizza and iced tea is in order.”

            Adam glanced at Ronan. He smirked, and Ronan automatically smirked back at him, and Adam’s chest felt fluttery again. He couldn’t pass it off as breathlessness from running this time.

            “Where the fuck did you pick up all that fancy footwork, Parrish?” Ronan teased as Gansey and Blue began the walk back to the Pig. “Your feet hardly ever touched the ground.”

            Adam shrugged, his skin tingling when Ronan’s arm brushed his. “It just comes naturally, I guess.”

            “Sure, Twinkle Toes.”

            “Shut up, asshole.” But Adam was grinning, and Ronan’s answering smile had his cheeks heating.

* * *

 

            Gansey and Blue were walking ahead, swinging their hands between them and talking animatedly about one thing or another. They didn’t look behind them to see if Ronan and Adam were following. Ronan glanced at Adam again. Sweat glistened on his skin, giving his bare chest and back a glimmering sheen that had Ronan fighting for self-control.

            “Hey, Parrish,” he said, and he nodded towards the back of the bleachers like he wanted to show Adam something. Adam only glanced at Blue and Gansey once before he followed. Ronan built up his courage. When they were behind the bleachers, Ronan turned and kissed Adam.

            He felt Adam’s shock beneath him, but Adam was only frozen for a second before his lips responded to Ronan’s kiss. He put his arms around Ronan’s neck, and Ronan wound his arms around Adam’s bare waist. He kissed him fervently, and Adam pressed himself closer to Ronan. The sweat on his chest made Ronan’s shirt stick to him.

            They were both breathless by the time Ronan pulled away. It was a different kind of breathless than Adam got when he was running across the soccer field. His heart was beating fast in an entirely different way than it did after he scored a goal and he was filled with adrenaline. This was an entirely new kind of adrenaline, and his skin tingled with it.

            Ronan’s eyes were heated and heavy on him. He grinned, and Adam grinned back.

            “That was for winning the game,” Ronan said, and Adam laughed as they moved out from behind the bleachers. Gansey and Blue were already in the parking lot, waiting by the Pig.

            “Jesus. I guess I’m gonna have to win more often,” he said, and Ronan’s eyes lit up.

* * *

 

            At Nino’s, Adam and Ronan sat on one side of the table while Blue and Gansey sat across from them. Under the table, Ronan crossed his ankle with Adam’s. Their arms pressed together, and on the seat between them, their pinky fingers touched.

            This was new, and strange, and different, but Adam didn’t think he minded it. It made him feel the way he felt after every time he scored a goal. It made him feel alive and happy and elated, and he was pretty sure he could be good at it, just like he’d learned to be good at soccer. It was something he could love like he loved the game. Maybe even more.

            Beside him, Ronan looked happy.

            Ronan Lynch was suddenly a sports fan. Adam had his jersey back on now, but he remembered all too well the way his bare chest had looked, shining with perspiration, and the way it had felt under his hands. The way Adam’s lips had felt against his own, the way Adam’s tongue had moved with his, the way their breath had mingled. He remembered the way Adam’s hands had felt on his head.

            He could get used to it, Ronan thought. He could definitely get used to it.

            Soccer wasn’t so bad after all.


End file.
